Instantly Framed

 We recently had a few rooms in our house painted (Behr Dolphin Fin!) and there's nothing like fresh paint to make you want to hang up new prints and art work. It was the perfect timing to try out Instantly Framed, the app that instantly frames your Instagram photos. The app is free and once you download that, sync it with your Instagram, you order within seconds! The whole process from start to finish is faster than any other site out there, and it is framed when you get it! I normally waste over an hour on sites like Shutterfly but then I still only have prints at the end of the transaction. The bonus points is that I could do this all from my iPhone! Normally when I open my laptop Jonas begs me to "watch something 'puter" so I normally avoid opening it to skip that conversation altogether.

Quick and painless and in a few days I had perfectly packaged artwork ready to hang on my wall! No adding screws into pre-drilled holes or anything like that. Thank you Instantly Framed!

Vacation book for your toddler

Every night before bed I read Jonas some books and lately he always requests the Shutterfly book I made about our vacation to Mexico. He loves looking at the pictures and exclaiming words and things he recognizes. But the book is a little busy, I must admit. I decided to make a kid friendly book for him to read and to remember our trip by! I used Pinhole Press since I have used them before and was happy with the quality. Totally not a sponsored post, just a happy repeat customer!

Here are some snippets of Jonas' Mexico book :)

If you want to make one, it's the Mini Storybook of Names and Faces. Its a board book, but not laminated, so not suitable for the teething baby months. (Or is my child the only one that ate board books?) We made Jonas one for Christmas, with pictures and names of all our family members and he went bonkers!! A book we will for sure treasure for years and years. Can't wait to take another trip to add to his travel library!

Half Moon Bay

We recently took advantage of a photoshoot with one of our favorite photographers before she moves out of state. If you are in the Portland or Seattle area, check out Catie Coyle!

Jonas at 18 months, I can't stand it. Too much fun. 

(He's 20 months today!)

Sea Buckthorn

I am usually the last to know about the new superfruit. It shows too because I was the only one of my friends that couldn't correctly pronounce acai a few years ago. The new superfruit is Sea Buckthorn and don't worry, Dr. Oz has already endorsed it. I know some of you take what he says as gospel. So, the rundown: it is known to help with weight loss, aide healthy digestion and makes your skin look beautiful. Sign me up.

I was gifted this Seabuck Wonders exfoliating facial cleanser and soft gels to try out and after using them for about a month I can tell you how great they are! First off, you don't want your exfoliator to rip off your skin like that awful stuff I used as a teenager (St. Ives Apricot, what?). This cleanser has the smallest exfoliants to gently scoff off any dead skin and I haven't had a single breakout since using it. Since I don't eat fish it's important for me to get my Omegas in, which is why I love these soft gels. Once I run out, I am definitely going to be buying some!

OK, I have to ask, is this the first you have heard about Sea Buckthorn oil? And are you completely obsessed with oils, like me? :)

Lately

It's been a week since we got back from our trip to Mexico and I am having the post vacation blues! I guess that just means I need to start planning our next trip. :) Here's what I've been up to this week:

Going through pictures from our vacation. Love this one of me and my guy swimming. 

Having fun putting together Jonas' (candy-less) Easter basket this year. 

Gotta detox after all the burritos and margaritas I consumed. This is my new favorite tea!

Jonas inside: throwing things, fussy, kind of acting up.
Jonas outside: see above.

The cutest little colored Miffys, ever.

Movie night in

Having a young kid means that I am just now getting around to watching Oscar nominated movies. We did manage to see American Hustle, but that was the only one. I wanted to see The Wolf of Wall Street in the theaters but with its 3 hour length, traveling to and from the theater, maybe getting a meal, that's like 6 hours of babysitting we would need to find! Not happening. The best thing about watching these movies at home is that you get to control your snacks. ;)

Since you have to have popcorn my new favorite is anything by Popcorn, Indiana. The ingredient list for the Movie Theater flavor is: popcorn, non-GMO canola oil, organic clarified butter, salt. That's it! And if you've read recent studies on the fat content (and not to mention chemicals in that "butter") of movie theater popcorn, you know how we are in need of better options. And because in my house we like ice cream (me) and sorbet (Jon) we turn to Ciao Bella. Cutest packaging, best flavors (blood orange, we love!) and good quality ingredients! Who cares we are seeing movie months late when we have the best munchies?

Sayulita

Yesterday I picked up our Mexican pesos that I ordered from our bank and now I feel like this trip is real! So excited to explore a part of Mexico I have never been to before. For those of you unfamiliar, Sayulita can be described as a sleepy hippie/surfer town about 30 miles from Puerto Vallerta. Lots of yoga retreats are also held here, hopefully I can make it to a couple classes! Of course our neighbor tells us that was a better description 10 years ago and that's its changed so much. There are still no high rise hotels or Senor Frogs so I think we're okay. ;)

 

Traveling with a toddler: Snacks for the airplane

We are about two weeks out from our first big trip with Jonas! We are dealing with international waters and airplanes, which calls for a well-researched and prepared mama. The first up in the series is focused on snacks! The snacks still must fit my criteria of healthy and mostly organic, but we are mainly looking for snacks that aren't too messy, take awhile to eat and can entertain him!

Happy Baby pouches and yogurt drops-Jonas loves these pouches and so do I. A tasty, non messy way for him to get in some vegetables too. And a plus is that he loves pointing out what's on the pouches, "nana!" "kee-wa" (kiwi) :) The yogurt drops we haven't had since he was a little guy working on his pincher grab so he will be thrilled when he sees me pull them out, avoiding a meltdown, perhaps?

Yogurt Raisins-Normally I buy in bulk but I know the novelty of these little boxes will buy me some happy toddler time. Also they are different pastel colors, so we can work on colors. These will definitely work their way into his Easter basket too.

Cheerios-A must! I am also going to bring pipe cleaners so he can stack the Cheerios on there. A nice, *quiet* activity!

Fresh fruit, of course.

Ella's Kitchen munchy biscuits-We have never had these before, so I am taking a little chance with that, although I'm sure they will be a hit. I did want to pack something new and exciting he had never seen or had before.

Any other tips, mamas? I'm all ears :)

new rituals with essential oils

I started researching essential oils (other than Oregano) at the end of last year and dove in to the world of doTERRA shortly after. I am slowly building my collection but have already found ways to incorporate these oils into my daily life!

-Lemon and Wild Orange in my water as a detox (make sure to only use glass, not plastic! the oils will draw the toxins out of plastic and into the water...not good!)
-Oregano on Jonas' feet when he has a cough or cold
-Eucalyptus and Lemon blended with coconut oil to rub on Jonas' back and chest to reduce mucus and make it easier for him to breathe
-Lemon and warm water to clean the carpet in my house
-Peppermint for upset stomach, a pick me up or fresh breath
-Lavender in Jonas' bath to help calm him down, for cuts and scrapes or put behind my ears to help me fall asleep
-I gave my bottle of Frankincense to help with my mom's arthritis in her fingers. It's working!
-Past Tense for headaches
-DigestZen for upset stomach
-OnGuard for everything during the cold season!! Rub it on my neck and chest to keep me healthy or fight a bug. Also it smells incredible.

I have a long list of oils I want to buy next. Do you use EO? Have any favorite uses?

That time we pretended to be hammock models

We were recently asked by our wedding photographer, Kate Harrison, to hang around in some hammocks while she took pictures of us for a local hammock company. Sounds like a fun way to spend the afternoon, huh?

Photo by Kate Harrison.

I loved the pictures so much I wanted to use one of the ones of just Jon and I as a birthday present for Jon. I was thinking something he could put up in his office. Well, turns out I loved it so much it's staying at home where I can enjoy it too. Do you ever do that? With every good intention birthday present sometimes you just gotta keep one or two of them for yourself.

Cute, no? I made an easel art print from Tiny Prints. With so many framed prints and canvas prints I thought this was fresh and fun. I love the way it turned out. Normally I shy away from super glossy and prefer matte, but somehow this works!

Loves it!

Around Here

A little peek into what things looked like this past Valentine's Day weekend. Hints of spring over here have me feeling pretty happy and motivated!

My little Valentine walked around holding a Pete the Cat book for most of the afternoon asking me to read it to him over and over again. It's slightly confusing that we have a cat named Pete.

As hard as the tantrums are and lack of real communication, seeing this look on his face (when he saw a fountain) makes it all worth it.

My flowers and our Valentine's day cards amongst our messy kitchen table. Sorry, all those Instagram photos you saw in your feed were fake. This is real life.

Delicious fresh juice made from kale, pineapple, ginger, lemon, apple and cucumber. Too bad the thing set me back $11. Yes, you read that right. Well, if I return the bottle I will get $2 back. That's the Bay Area for you.

 

 Brunching with my besties. My happy place is with a bloody mary and these three.